Foa_Content_of_HHS-2023-ACL-AOA-LRLR-0017 (2).pdf

Administration for Community Living

Administration on Aging

Lifespan Respite Care Program: Grants to New States and States Re-Establishing Their Core Respite Infrastructures

HHS-2023-ACL-AOA-LRLR-0017

05/15/2023

Table of Contents Executive Summary

Additional Overview Content/Executive Summary

I. Funding Opportunity Description

II. Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

3. Responsiveness and Screening Criteria

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Letter of Intent

Project Narrative

Summary/Abstract

Problem Statement

Goals and Objectives

Proposed Intervention

Special Target Populations and Organizations

Outcomes

Project Management

Evaluation

Dissemination

Organizational Capability

Budget Narrative/Justification

Work Plan

Letters of Commitment from Key Participating Organizations and Agencies

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

4. Submission Dates and Times

5. Intergovernmental Review

6. Funding Restrictions

7. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Anticipated Announcement Award Date

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

4. FFATA and FSRS Reporting

VII. Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-13)

Appendix

Instructions for Completing Required Forms

Budget Narrative/Justification- Sample Format

Instructions for Completing the Project Summary/ Abstract

ACL Center:

Administration on Aging Funding Opportunity Title:

Lifespan Respite Care Program: Grants to New States and States Re-Establishing Their Core Respite Infrastructures Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2023-ACL-AOA-LRLR-0017

Primary CFDA Number:

93.072 Due Date for Letter of Intent:

03/27/2023 Due Date for Applications:

05/15/2023 Date for Informational Conference Call:

03/22/2023 Applications that fail to meet the application due date will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration. You are strongly encouraged to submit your application a minimum of 3-5 days prior to the application closing date. Do not wait until the last day in the event you encounter technical difficulties, either on your end or, with https://www.grants.gov. Grants.gov can take up to 48 hours to notify you of a successful submission.

Executive Summary

Additional Overview Content/Executive Summary https://www.grants.gov/

The U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) is providing this competitive notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) to eligible state agencies for the purpose of implementing the requirements of the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006, as amended (The Act). The goal of the program is to enhance state systems and capacities to deliver respite care and related services to family caregivers of children and adults across all age groups, disabilities, and chronic conditions.

ACL is seeking applications from eligible state agencies, as defined in the statute, who fall within one of the following two categories:

New States are defined as states who have not previously received a grant under this program.

Returning States are defined as states that have had at least one (1) Lifespan Respite Program grant, but whose programs have gone dormant or lapsed since federal funding ended and, thus, desire to re-establish their core state respite infrastructures, rather than apply for a Program Enhancement grant published under Funding Opportunity Number

HHS-2023-ACL-AOA-LRLI-0014.

ACL will fund at least one (1) cooperative agreement at a federal funding level up to approximately $235,000 per year for three years, for potential maximum funding of $705,000 over the course of the 3-year project period.

Applicants must propose to use grant funds to: plan, establish, expand or re-establish Lifespan Respite Care systems and programs, including new and emergency respite services; undertake activities to recruit and train and respite workers and volunteers; assist caregivers with gaining access to needed respite services; and provide other authorized services as outlined in The Lifespan Respite Care Act (the Act). Additionally, grantees may also wish to identify opportunities to expand collaborations and partnerships across the state; initiate efforts to expand volunteer respite options; ensure adequate respite provider training is offered; identify gaps in current services and conduct outreach to reduce those gaps;

and continue or increase efforts to target underserved populations across the lifespan. It is ACL’s expectation that all grantees will, no later than the second and third years of the grant project period, provide respite services while continuing to expand and enhance the statewide respite infrastructure.

By statute, awards may only be made to the eligible state agency that:

Administers the State’s program under the Older Americans Act of 1965; or Administer the State’s program under title XIX of the Social Security Act; or Is designated by the Governor of such State to administer the State’s programs under this title.

Additionally, the state agency must work in concert with the state’s aging and disability resource center (ADRC)/No-Wrong Door (NWD) system and with a statewide public or private respite care coalition or organization. Grantees should commit to working with other state and community-based agencies in the development and administration of the program while demonstrating an understanding of respite care and family caregiver issues across all age groups, disabilities, and chronic conditions, improving equitable access to respite services, and ensure meaningful involvement of family members, family caregivers, and care recipients in the design and implementation of the program. Only one (1) application per State will be funded.

Applicants should be aware that this is a highly competitive opportunity. Limited funds are available to support applicant's proposed projects. Therefore, only those applications deemed to show the greatest likelihood of re-establishing or re-invigorating their lifespan respite program efforts to deliver respite care and related services to family caregivers of children and adults across the lifespan and responding to the comprehensive needs of their state will be selected for funding.

Date for Informational Conference Call: MARCH 22, 2023, at 2PM ET

Conference Call Phone Number: 800-369-3157

Participant Pass Code: 2577132#

Following entry of your passcode, please provide the required details when prompted

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose

The U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) is providing this competitive grant opportunity to assist eligible state agencies with the implementation of the requirements of the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006, as amended (The Act) (P.L. 116-324 and P.L. 116-324). The overarching goal of the program is to improve access to, and quality of, respite care services to all family caregivers, thereby reducing family caregiver demands when supporting these individuals. The Act requires grantees to work with the ADRC/NWD systems in their states, which empower individuals to make informed decisions, exercise control over their long-term care needs, and achieve their personal goals and preferences. Additionally, grantees must collaborate with state respite organizations and/or coalitions to enhance and expand the availability of lifespan respite services. The ultimate goal of this funding opportunity is to realize the development of functioning and sustainable state Lifespan Respite Care Programs.

Successful applicants will be required to establish, or reestablish, state and local coordinated Lifespan Respite Care systems to serve family caregivers regardless of the age, disability, or chronic condition of the care recipient. Grantees will also be required to develop and provide new and emergency respite services; train and recruit respite workers, including volunteers; and assist caregivers in gaining access to respite care services that meet the needs of both the caregiver and care recipient. For the purposes of this program, eligible respite recipients are adult family caregivers who provide unpaid support to persons of any age who have a disability or chronic condition.

All programs must from the outset, address the respite needs of all populations regardless of the age and/or disability/chronic condition of the care recipient population. No phase-in or preference for specific age groups, disability categories, or populations will be permitted.

State agencies eligible to receive funding under The Act must demonstrate the ability to work with State and community-based organizations; understand respite care and family caregiver issues across all age groups, disabilities, and chronic conditions; and have the capacity to ensure meaningful involvement of family members, family caregivers, and care recipients.

Background

Who are family caregivers?

Family caregivers are often referred to as the backbone of America’s long-term care system.

Most people will either need a caregiver or become one at some point in their life. On a daily basis, family caregivers assist relatives and other loved ones with a broad range of tasks ranging from routine to complex. According to the 2020 Report, Caregiving in the U.S., an estimated 53.0 million adults in the United States have provided unpaid care to an adult or a child in the prior 12 months.[1]

Family caregivers are found in every community. Family caregivers are any gender; young or old; related by blood or by a close personal connection. While the spectrum of individuals classified as “family caregivers” is diverse, several key factors come into play when considering the best ways to supp ort them in their roles:

Family caregivers perform tasks ranging from administrative tasks such as bill paying and household management to providing complex medical care to their loved ones;

Half of family caregivers are performing medical/nursing tasks for individuals with challenges in physical, cognitive, and behavioral health; [2]

Family caregivers often do not recognize that they are caregivers and, instead, view what they are doing as fulfilling a familial role;

Once caregivers recognize themselves as such, they often reach out for help too late;

When caregivers ask for assistance like respite care, they often encounter fragmented, narrowly targeted programs or are unable to afford the respite options available to them;

Many families and family caregivers may or may not possess adequate financial resources to meet their own daily needs or the needs of those for whom they care; and

Many family caregivers lack sufficient information about where to find supportive services, including respite, or how to choose from among the available options.

Lifespan Respite Care Defined

The Lifespan Respite Care Act, as amended (the Act) defines lifespan respite care as “a coordinated system of accessible, community-based respite care services for family caregivers of children or adults with special needs.” Such a system brings together Federal, state and local resources and funding streams to help support, expand, and streamline the delivery of planned and emergency respite services, while also providing for the recruitment and training of respite workers and caregiver training and empowerment. Respite can strengthen family systems while protecting the health and well-being of both the caregiver and the care recipient and is a key component of community-based long-term services and supports (LTSS). The implementation of https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2020/05/full-report-caregiving-in-the-united-states.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00103.001.pdf the Act should improve the delivery and quality of respite services available to families across age and disability spectrum, by establishing coordinated lifespan respite systems.

Additionally, Lifespan Respite Care programs should strive for equitable access to services for family caregivers and care recipients and address the factors that can hinder such access, including but not limited to: age, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, cognitive ability, language, ethnic origin, employment status, housing situation, education level, and individuals transitioning back to the community from facilities, including those needing medical and/or behavioral health care (e.g., substance use disorder and mental health treatment) services to manage chronic conditions or support needs. Additional information may be reviewed in the Project Narrative: Special Target Populations and Organizations.

The Lifespan Respite Care Act, as amended: An Overview

First passed by Congress in 2006 and reauthorized in 2020, the Act is intended to accomplish several objectives:

Respite is often in short supply or inaccessible, the Act seeks to expand and enhance respite services within states;

State respite programs are often funded through a variety of sources, the Act is designed to improve coordination and dissemination of service delivery between various funding streams and programs;

Navigating multiple respite programs can be difficult, the Act seeks to streamline caregiver access to programs and filling service gaps; and

By expanding and enhancing respite services, and improving coordination and access, the Act is designed to improve the overall quality and equity of available respite services.

Rather than supplant, replace, or duplicate Federal, state, local and private respite care development and funding activities, the Act is intended to facilitate coordination between programs, reduce duplication of effort, and assist in the development of respite care infrastructure at the state and local levels. The implementation of the Act should improve the delivery and quality of respite services available to families across age and disability spectrums, by establishing coordinated lifespan respite systems.

The Evolving Respite Environment

Lifespan Respite Programs have been in existence in states since the 1990s. Since the passage of the Act in 2006, states have made considerable progress towards building sustainable programs capable of meeting the respite care needs of families and family caregivers across the lifespan. In recent years, a number of pivotal events have helped shape the current environment in which Lifespan Respite Programs exist, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the passage of the Recognize Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act of 2017, and the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) Act of 2018 and the release of the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregiver (the Strategy), have highlighted the importance of cultural and linguistic competence and the growing crisis of the direct care workforce.

As the nation further emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, respite programs continue to evolve to meet changing needs and circumstances of caregivers and care recipients of all communities, across all age groups. Additionally, state coalitions have had to look to other forms, or means, of service delivery, such as allowing the reimbursement of family or friends for respite services or the provision of virtual support groups, outreach, and even, respite care.

The passage of the RAISE Act and the formation and work of the Family Caregiving Advisory Council (FCAC), shined a spotlight on respite in its Initial Report to Congress noting the importance of increasing awareness of respite and that it can mean different things for different family caregivers. For example, the report noted that what constitutes “respite” for the spouse of an older adult living with dementia (typically an adult day program) differs significantly from what the parent of a child with autism who also has educational needs would view as an equivalent form of respite."[3]

Similarly, from the Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren’s (SGRG) Initial Report to Congress, we know that “the round-the-clock nature of caring for children, especially young children, and children with disabilities or exposure to trauma, [kin and grandparent caregivers] need a variety of formal and informal respite options."[4]

The respective reports of both advisory councils included a similar recommendation: Increase the availability of high-quality, setting-appropriate, and caregiver-defined [kinship family and grandfamily-centered] respite [and childcare services] to give caregivers a healthy and meaningful break from their responsibilities.”

In light of the recent release of the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers (the Strategy), there is an opportunity for states to re-think their respite systems of care. Applicants to this NOFO are encouraged to become familiar with the relevant components and actions contained in the Strategy. For example, under Outcome 3.2: Family caregivers can obtain respite services that meet their unique needs, it states, “High-quality respite is one of the most requested needs of caregivers, but gaps in the availability and affordability of access are significant. "[5]

Applicants may wish to look for opportunities to address this action as they begin building or re-establsihing their state Lifespan Respite Programs.

As greater emphasis is placed on ensuring that programs and services are culturally and linguistically competent, it is ACL’s intention that programs funded in response to this announcement place an emphasis on providing equitable services that address the needs of diverse populations. Applicants should discuss how they will promote equity through service access and flexibility that will allow caregivers and care recipients to be provided services that are grounded in cultural awareness and competency. The fourth component of the Strategy entitled “First Principles: Cross-Cutting Considerations for Family Caregiver Support” includes essential practices to support each of the four core principles discussed that applicants may want to consider incorporating into their proposed plan, where appropriate.

In many cases, the provision of respite services requires the availability of a well-trained, well-compensated and quality workforce. Long-standing workforce shortages have reached crisis levels. Given the existent challenges to recruiting and retaining paid and unpaid (volunteer) respite care providers, in 2022, ACL launched the National Center to Strengthen the Direct Care Workforce to support recruitment, retention, and professional development of workers who provide home and community-based services and help to address issues of recruitment and retention of direct care workers. The TA Center will offer access to a wide array of best practices, trainings, and technical assistance to help stakeholders strengthen the direct care https://acl.gov/programs/support-caregivers/raise-family-caregiving-advisory-council https://acl.gov/programs/support-caregivers/raise-family-caregiving-advisory-council https://acl.gov/RAISE/report file://AOAFS01/common/AoA_OSCS/Lifespan%20Respite%20Program/FOAs/FY%202023/acl.gov/sgrg https://acl.gov/SGRG/report https://acl.gov/CaregiverStrategy https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/RAISE_SGRG/NatlStrategyFamCaregivers_FirstPrinciples.pdf https://acl.gov/programs/direct-care-workforce https://acl.gov/programs/direct-care-workforce workforce. Applicants to this announcement are encouraged to leverage the work of this and other efforts in addressing respite workforce needs in their states.

Program Priority Areas

Applicants are encouraged to consider a broad range of possible approaches, strategies and partnerships in carrying out program priorities. Further, in light of lessons learned during the coronavirus pandemic, applicants are encouraged to consider other forms, or means, of service delivery, such as allowing the reimbursement of family or friends for respite services or the provision of virtual support groups, outreach, and even, respite care to meet current needs as well as prepare for the ongoing provision of respite services in case of future emergencies or disaster situations. In light of the ongoing pandemic, applicants are encouraged to review and consider the recommendations in the resource developed by ACL’s Lifespan Respite Technical Assistance and Resource Center (ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center) titled, “Providing and Receiving Respite Care Safely During the COVID- 19 Pandemic: Voluntary National Guidelines for Respite Care Agencies, Providers, Family Caregivers, and Respite Care Recipients.”

Application narratives should clearly and completely describe the eligible State agency’s plan for implementing the required and optional services listed below. Within that framework, applicants must fully describe how their program will, at a minimum:

Re-establish their core respite infrastructures (Returning States); and Improve the statewide dissemination and coordination of respite care;

Develop, modify or otherwise adapt respite and related services to a COVID-19/post-

COVID-19 environment; and provide, supplement, or improve equitable access and quality of respite care services to family caregivers and care recipients, thereby reducing family caregiver demands.

Applicants under either category shall use the funds awarded for the following required services:

Development and enhancement of lifespan respite care at the State and local levels;

The provision of evidence-informed quality respite care services for family caregivers caring for children or adults;

Training and recruiting of respite care workers and volunteers;

The provision of information to caregivers about available respite and support services;

and Assistance to caregivers in gaining access to such services.

Additionally, funds available under this funding opportunity may also be used to develop a range of optional services, including:

Training for family caregivers to assist family caregivers in making informed decisions such as, "choosing and controlling their services through decision-making" about respite care services;

Other services essential to the provision of respite care; or Training and education for new caregivers.

Required Application Elements https://archrespite.org/library/providing-and-receiving-respite-care-safely-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/ https://archrespite.org/library/providing-and-receiving-respite-care-safely-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/ https://archrespite.org/library/providing-and-receiving-respite-care-safely-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/

ACL understands that existing respite capacities vary from state to state. ACL also recognizes that not all states will start from the same place in designing, re-establishing, or bringing to scale and integrating their programs. Therefore, all proposals will be evaluated based on the extent of progress a state expects to make under either eligibility category. Applicants will be required to describe fully their state’s present capacity to deliver respite services across the lifespan and explain how proposed new activities build upon and strengthen the applicant’s current capacity to provide such services.

All applicants must propose projects that implement required services specified by The Act, as described above, while demonstrating:

Required Respite Service Delivery

All applicants to this funding opportunity are expected to provide services beginning no later than the second year of their project. Applicants should clarify how much of their budgets in each year will be devoted to respite services. Applicants should also clearly articulate how, and under what circumstances, the Lifespan Respite Program funds will be used to provide services (e.g., gap filling services for family caregivers who are ineligible for other programs, etc.). For more information on emerging, model, or promising practices in the field of respite and family caregiver support, applicants should review information available on the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center.

An understanding of the population to be served

Knowledge of the family caregiver population for whom lifespan respite program services are to be provided, or for whom respite care workers and volunteers will be recruited and trained, is an essential requirement of any successful application. Describe any underserved population(s) to be served by your proposed program as defined by Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, dated January 20, 2021.

Applicants must fully describe the needs of the caregiver population and the current respite infrastructure in the state. The proposed intervention must also describe how respite information dissemination and coordination; respite care services; and worker and volunteer recruitment and training will be carried out. The plan for administering, collaborating, and coordinating respite care activities in the state with other related services or programs must also be described.

Applicants should refer to Section IV, Project Narrative section of this Announcement for a full description of legislatively mandated application narrative elements.

Person and family-centered approaches

Lifespan Respite Care Programs should assist families by first identifying current respite funding streams in the State and assist families with eligibility determination. Families who do not previously qualif y for any existing respite programs or services may have those services paid for by the Lifespan Respite Care Program. Therefore, applicants should describe how proposed activities will further enable families to choose, control and navigate available service options and gain access to those services.

https://archrespite.org/ta-center-for-respite/ https://archrespite.org/ta-center-for-respite/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/

Cross-age and disability focus

All family members, regardless of the age, disability or chronic condition of their loved ones, sho uld be able to access a Lifespan Respite Care Program to obtain information on how and where to find respite services and providers from among those that currently exist.

Eligible respite recipients include, but are not limited to, family members, kinship caregivers, parents, or other adults providing unpaid care to adults needing the care to meet basic daily needs or prevent injury and to children who require care beyond that required to meet their basic needs.

For this Program Announcement, family caregivers include grandparents, of any age, who are primary caretakers of children or adults with special needs.

Further, "unpaid family caregivers" are those caregivers who do not receive funding to provide care as their primary means of income.

All activities proposed in response to this Announcement must, from the outset, address the respite needs of all age and disability/special needs populations. To that end, applicants must des cribe their plan for serving all age groups and disability categories, without preference for a select demographic group or disability population. No phase-in or preferences for age groups or disability categories will be permitted.

Collaboration, partnerships, and consumer inclusion

The Lifespan Respite Care Act is designed to facilitate the coordination of respite programs in the state by reducing or eliminating, duplicative efforts and assist in the development of the statewide respite care infrastructure. Grantees will be required to coordinate with existing public or private respite care programs and should demonstrate the broadest possible collaboration with relevant respite and other stakeholders from across the age and disability spectrum. Applications must include a descr iption of the eligible State agency’s:

Ability to work with other State and community-based agencies, such as, disabilities and/or behavioral health services agencies, Centers fo r Independent Living and other community-based agencies or faith-based initiatives supporting aging adults and people with disabilities;

Understanding of respite care, and family caregiver issues across all age groups, disabilities, and chronic conditions; and

Capacity to ensure meaningful involvement of family members, family caregivers, and care recipients from a person-centered and family-centered perspective.

Applications should clearly demonstrate via letters of support and other mechanisms, the commitment of key state and local organizations and stakehol ders from across the age and disability spectrum as full partners in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Lifespan Respite Program.

Such organizations might include but are not limited to the following:

State government agencies providing human services programs across the age and disability spectrum of which respite may (or may not) be a component service (e.g., Medicaid, National Family Caregiver Support Program);

Providers of respite care serving full range of population groups with varying, disabilities and service needs and for whom respite is an essential component of remaining in the community; and

Non-profit organizations that function at the state and local levels to enhance services and edu cation to persons with respite care needs, their families, and caregivers to enhance and promote the coordination of a more comprehensive and appropriate service delivery between the social service network and the state service system.

Applicants must propose how they will carry out the activities of their programs in collaboration with a non-profit statewide respite coalition and the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC)/No Wrong Door (NWD) system. Applica nts should detail the means by which the respite coalition/organization and the ADRC/NWD will work collaboratively in designing, implementing , and managing the program.

IMPORTANT! A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) regarding the joint responsibility for the development of the state’s lifespan respite program between the eligible State agency and the public or private nonprofit statewide respite coalition or organization must be in place at the time of application and submitted with the application. Applicants are encouraged to embed flexibility within the MOA so that all parti es to the Agreement can modify scope, tasks or partnerships as needs arise.

A copy of such memorandum must be included as part of ALL application packages.

Sustainability

The ultimate goal of this funding opportunity is to realize the development of functioning and su stainable state Lifespan Respite Care Programs. Therefore, applications will be scored on the extent to which a plan for the project's sustainability is articulated. Applicants are encouraged to consider a range of materials and resources for developing sustainable programs that may be found on the Lifespan Respite Technical Assistance Center Sustainability Tools webpage.

Programmatic Performance and Outcomes Measurement

Performance is an important component of a fully functioning Lifespan Respite Care System. This includes programmatic performance outcomes (including associated cost/benefits) with particular attention to consumer-level information regarding service delivery and impact on consumers. Applicant goals should identify relevant consumer-based, programmatic, and systems-level outcomes the state would like to measure and proposed approaches.

Awardees under this funding opportunity will work with ACL to implement the data collection and reporting requirements, under Section 2904 of the Lifespan Respite Reauthorization Act of 2020, pending approval of OMB approval of a new semiannual and program data collection https://archrespite.org/ta-center-for-respite/sustainability-tools/ instrument. Specifically, the tool will collect information related to respite care services delivered, caregiver demographics, care recipient demographics, respite training, and lifespan respite program systems and providers. Ultimately, this reporting will assist ACL’s Office of Supportive and Caregiver Services to assess the performance of the Lifespan Respite Program grantees in improving the delivery and quality of respite services for family caregivers of children and adults of all ages with special needs. Grantees under this program should expect reporting requirements to change over the course of the project and will be expected to comply with those changes when they are implemented.

Applicants should be prepared to track and record the experiences of the people being served with these funds as well as the impac t of a statewide lifespan respite care system on consumers, their families, and employers. Successful applicants will describe how such data would be collected and presented and do so in concert with current efforts across existing respite programs/funding streams. Applicants may identify a consumer-level outcome measure (or measures) of their choosing or draw upon the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center’s "Measuring Systems Change and Consumer Outcomes:

Recommendations for Developing Performance Metrics for State Lifespan Respite Programs"do cument to assist in the conceptualization, development, and implementation of useful performance metrics, such as caregiver or system change outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to review the document and consider this information whe n designing their application for this announcement.

Products

Over the history of the program, grantees have done much to advance Lifespan Respite Care Programs at the state and local levels.

As such, grantee experiences are looked at with interest by other states seeking guidance and direction as they embark on the development of similar programs. To facilitate replication of programs and approaches more easily by other states, and to eliminate the need to “reinvent the wheel,” grantees will be asked to submit to ACL and the ACL Lifespan Respite Technical Assistance Center, key products that can serve as resource guides for future Lifespan Respite Care Program development, enhancement, and expansion.

Copies of all final products are to be submitted to ACL at the conclusion of the grant.

Participation in Technical Assistance Efforts

Grantees will be expected to participate in technical assistance activities as they pertain to Lifespan Respite Care Program development, management, and integration. This includes, but is not limited to, participation in regularly scheduled conference calls, webcasts , and one-on-one Technical Assistance opportunities initiated by the ACL Project Officer, the Lifespan Respit e Program Technical Assistance Resource Center, or as requested by the grantee and stakeholders themselves.

Additionally, State Project Directors are strongly encouraged to budget resources for travel to and participation in the Natio nal Respite Conference, convened annually by ARCH, the Lifespan Respite Technical Assistance and Resource https://archrespite.org/library/measuring-systems-change-and-consumer-outcomes/

Center. This conference provides participants with the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in respite program development and with the opportunity to network and share best practices associated with Lifespan Respite Care Program implementation.

Grants and Subcontracts

Grantees may carry out the required and optional activities described above directly by a sub-grant to or contract with public or private entities. Due to the nature of this program, the State Project Director must maintain an active role in the implementation and management of this project.

Applicants who propose conduit or pass-through funding for another agency to lead the project will not be considered for funding.

Applicants under this funding announcement should clearly describe, if necessary, the need to subcontract any specific grant activities. In addition to describing the reasons why sub-awards might be needed, applicants should outline their processes for subcontracting these activities. Applicants should als o clearly describe the role of the project director along with the stakeholder group that will guide the design and implementation of the Lifespan Respite Care Program in the state.

For more information about the current lifespan Respite Care Program grantees and their activities, please visit ACL’s website at: https://acl.gov/programs/support-caregivers/lifespan-respite-care-program.

Endnotes

[1] AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving. (2020). Caregiving in the United States 2020.

Washington (DC): AARP. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.aarp.org/ppi/info- 2020/caregiving-in-the-united-states.html

[2] Reinhard S. Home Alone Revisited: Family Caregivers Providing Complex Chronic Care.

2019 Nov 8;3(Suppl 1):S747–8. doi: 10.1093/geroni/igz038.2740. PMCID: PMC6846337.

[3] Administration for Community Living (ACL). (2021, September 22). Retrieved March 6, 2023, from ACL.gov: RAISE Family Caregivers Act Initial Report to Congress; page 86

[4] Administration for Community Living (ACL). (2021, November 16). Retrieved March 6, 2023, from ACL.gov: Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) Act Initial Report to Congress; page 49

[5] Administration for Community Living (ACL). (2022, September 21, 2022). Retrieved March 6, 2023, from ACL.gov: 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers; page 56

Statutory Authority The statutory authority for this program the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C 201), as amended.

II. Award Information https://acl.gov/programs/support-caregivers/lifespan-respite-care-program https://acl.gov/programs/support-caregivers/lifespan-respite-care-program https://www.aarp.org/ppi/info-2020/caregiving-in-the-united-states.html https://www.aarp.org/ppi/info-2020/caregiving-in-the-united-states.html https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2019/04/home-alone-revisited-family-caregivers-providing-complex-care.pdf https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/RAISE-InitialReportToCongress2021_Final.pdf https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/RAISE_SGRG/SGRG-InitialReportToCongress_2021-11-16.pdf https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/RAISE_SGRG/SGRG-InitialReportToCongress_2021-11-16.pdf https://acl.gov/CaregiverStrategy

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$235,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$235,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$200,000 Per Budget Period

Length of Project Period:

36-month project period with three 12-month budget periods Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' ACL recognizes the considerable need for respite services across the country. These grants will be funded annually for 3 years, for a 36-month project period, with three 12-month budget periods. By providing funding each year for 3-years, states will have the flexibility to develop a range of services and begin fully implementing authorized direct services by the second year of the project. In an effort to ensure robust, lifespan respite programs, ACL expects applicants to request a minimum of $200,000 in federal funding to ensure projects are of sufficient scope and viability.

The amount of Federal funds available for this funding opportunity and the total number of awards to be issued will depend on the amount of Lifespan Respite Care Program funds remaining after awards are made through the new FY2023 Lifespan Respite Care Program: Program Enhancement Grants(HHS-2023-ACL-AOA-LRLI-0014).

Based on the availability of funding, ACL plans to fund at least one (1) grant under this Funding opportunity, with a maximum federal funding level of up to $235,000 per award, per year, for a 36-month project with three 12-month budget periods. Grantees shall use funds under this funding opportunity for the purposes of planning and establishing Lifespan Respite Care systems, as outlined in The Act.

Funding decisions are at the discretion of the Administrator for ACL. Only those applications ran king the highest in a third-party review will be recommended for funding by the ACL Program Officer.

Successful applicants may be asked to revise their proposals based on smaller-than-requested awards. Eligible state agencies funded under this announcement shall use grant funds solely on lifespan respite care service provision and systemic advancement as outlined in The Act. Funds made available under this announcement shall be used to supplement and must not supplant other Federal, State, and local funds available for respite care services.

This is a new Cooperative Agreement. Once a Cooperative Agreement is in place, requests to modify or amend it or the work plan may be made by ACL/AoA or the awardee at any time as long as it stays within the original confines of the proposed project description. Major changes may affect the integrity of the competitive review process. Modifications and/or amendments of the Cooperative Agreement or work plan shall be effective upon the execution of an award notice. When an award is issued the Cooperative Agreement terms and conditions from the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) are incorporated by reference unless ACL is authorized under the Terms and Conditions of award, 45 CFR Part 75, or other applicable regulation or statute to make unilateral amendments.

The terms and conditions of this Cooperative Agreement includes the following terms:

The ACL/AoA project officer shall carry out the following activities for the Cooperative Agreement:

Collaborate with the grantee in the finalization, execution, and modification of the work plan;

Perform the day-to-day federal responsibilities of managing grants and will work with the grantee to ensure that the minimum requirements of the grant are met;

Work cooperatively with the grantee to clarify the programmatic and budgetary issues to be addressed by the grantee project, and, as necessary, negotiate with the grantee to achieve a mutually agreed upon solution to any needs identified by the grantee or ACL/AoA; and

Assist the grantee project leadership in understanding the policy concerns and/or priorities of ACL, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the federal government by conducting periodic briefings and carrying out ongoing consultations.

ACL/AoA will also share information with the grantee about other federally sponsored projects and activities that are relevant to the interest of the grantee and grantee activities.

The grantee shall execute the activities as noted above and the responsibilities of the Cooperative Agreement listed below:

Collaborate with ACL/AoA in the finalization, execution, and modification of the work plan;

Fulfill all of the requirements of the grant initiative as outlined in this funding opportunity announcement (FOA), as well as carry out project activities as reviewed, approved, and awarded;

Communicate with the ACL/AoA project officer regularly to improve the effectiveness of the activities carried out under this Agreement;

Meet with the ACL/AoA Project Officer, at least semi-annually, or at such other times as are agreed upon by either party to improve the effectiveness of the activities carried out under this Agreement;

Submit the required semi-annual and final progress reports;

Participate in technical assistance efforts as provided by the Lifespan Respite Technical

Assistance and Resource Center (TARC);

Begin using the new semi-annual reporting and data collection tools as required in

Section 2904 of the Act, at such time they are approved for use by OMB; and In accordance with the Stevens Amendment, all HHS grant and cooperative agreement recipients are required to acknowledge federal funding when publicly communicating projects or programs funded through HHS federal financial assistance. You must use the following language when issuing statements, press releases, requests for proposals, bid solicitations, and other ACL-supported publications and forums describing projects or programs funded in whole with ACL funding:

This [project/publication/program/website, etc.] [is/was] supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $XX with XX percentage funded by ACL/HHS and $XX amount and XX percentage funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

For FY 2023 the below guidance is provided to advance the Administration’s policy, as stated in E.O. 13985, to “pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.” This guidance is intended to begin to address inequities in HHS programs, processes, and policies that may serve as barriers to equal opportunity. By advancing equity in our NOFOs, we can “create opportunities for the improvement of communities that have been historically underserved, which benefits everyone.”

Section 2901(4)of Title XXIX - Lifespan Respite Care Act states that eligible entities are state agencies that administer the State's program under the Older Americans of 1965, as amended, or administers the State's program under Title XIX of the Social Security Act or is designated by the Governor of such State to administer the State's program under this title.

NOTE: This Notice of Funding Opportunity is not intended to fund individual projects at a particular site or location.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement:

Yes For awards that require matching or cost sharing by statute, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources (at or above the statutory requirement) in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards. The applicant will be held accountable for all proposed non-federal resources as shown in the Notice of Award (NOA). A recipient's failure to provide the statutorily required matching or cost sharing amount (and any voluntary committed amount in excess) may result in the disallowance of federal funds. Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

Under this ACL program, ACL will fund no more than 75% of the project’s total cost, which means the applicant must cover at least 25% of the project’s total cost with non-Federal resources. In other words, for every three (3) dollars received in Federal funding, the applicant must contribute at least one (1) dollar in non-Federal resources toward the project’s total cost.

This “three-to-one” ratio is reflected in the following formula which you can use to calculate the minimum required match.

(Federal Funds Requested) times (Match Percentage) divided by (Inverse Match Percentage)

Here are examples of varying match levels

A common error applicants make is to match 25% of the Federal share, rather than 25% of the project’s total cost.

There are two types of match: 1) non-Federal cash and 2) non-Federal in-kind. In general, costs borne by the applicant and cash contributions of any and all third parties involved in the project, including sub-grantees, contractors and consultants, are considered matching funds.

Volunteered time and use of facilities to hold meetings or conduct project activities may be considered in-kind(third-party) donations. Examples of non- Federal cash match includes budgetary funds provided from the applicant agency’s budget for costs associated with the project. ACL discourages you from exceeding the minimum match requirement. Applications with a match greater than the minimum required will not receive additional consideration under the review. Match is not one of the responsiveness criteria as noted in Secti on III, 3 Application Screening Criteria.

3. Responsiveness and Screening Criteria

Application Responsiveness Criteria All Applications will go through an application responsiveness screening to verify that the applicant:

1. Is an eligible applicant, as outlined in Section III (I) of this Program Announcement;

2. Did the applicant request the minimum award amount (Award Floor) or more to fund their project; AND

Federal Funds Requested X Match Percentage / Inverse Match Percentage

Minimum Match Requirement

($100,000 X 5%) / (95%) $5,263

($100,000 X 25%) / (75%) $33,333

($100,000 X 35%) / (65%) $53,846

($100,000 X 45%) / (55%) $81,818

3. IMPORTANT: Has included in the application package a Memorandum of Agreement between the eligible state agency and the statewide respite coalition/organization.

Applications that fail to meet the above criteria will not be reviewed further and will receive no further consideration.

Application Screening Criteria All applications will be screened to assure a level playing field for all applicants. Applications that fail to meet the three screening criteria described below will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration.

In order for an application to be reviewed, it must meet the following screening requirements:

1. Applications must be submitted electronically via https://www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, by the due date listed in section IV.3 Submission Dates and Times.

2. The Project Narrative section of the Application must be double-spaced, on 8.5” x 11” plain white paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a standard font…